Elite Event @ Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens

I think this has been my favorite Elite Event to date. The amazing view of the lake, sculpture gardens, and the sunset in the background still makes me smile. I loved it! I NEED to have a party here soon. What a great location, Colleen!
The food provided by Brio was a hit. I have to admit that I went back for more of the mushroom ravioli way too many times. I liked the offerings from the bar — the regular mojito was probably my favorite. However, the orchid drinks were pretty fabulous.
The highlight of the night were the photos provided by SNAP! Studio Booth. What a fun and interesting addition to our little soirée. The photos turned out really awesome and were uploaded really quickly — yay!
The only issue of the night was poor lighting between the bar/​seating area and the food/​harp area. However, I saw no one trip or fall so it turned out alright.
Overall, it was a successful event that seemed to be enjoyable for all. Thanks, Unilocal and Colleen! :)

Colleen did a great job yet again! While it was a little dark, getting around wasnt a problem. The photos were fun, the cocktails were delicious, and the mushroom ravoili was delectable!

What a great night for an outdoor event! I had never been to this spot before (always too afraid to pull into the parking lot for fear of crazy drivers behind me) but I sure am glad I went.
The gardens are very pretty an peaceful and the museum had a really great Soviet/​Cold War display.
The food provided by Brio, sweets by Peterbrooke, and Honest Tea were my highlights. I also loved the harpist and thought her music selection was really funny/​awesome. Snap! photos were so great! I would not hesitate to hire them… I loved the props and how the pics turned out!
Great job by Colleen again!

This was my first Elite Event and I LoVeD it! :)
Beautiful sunset scenary… really made me feel relaxed and serene.
The Pamapolitan was soooo DEEELISH! Didnt mind the line at the bar.
Made a few new friends in a new town and cant wait for the next event.

It was a perfect night for this lovely garden party! I just wish there had been more light, so that I could enjoy the scenery more!
I loved everything about this event, especially the sweet treats from Peterbrooke and Jane’s Short & Sweet. Snap! Studio Booth was another fun addition creating lot’s of fun photo ops for us crazy Unilocalers. I also had my fair share of pasta from Brio and tea shots from Honest Tea.
As always, thanks Colleen for another fabulous event! We are so lucky to have such an amazing Community Manager in Orlando!

Clear night with harp music and sculptures.. .I was wondering where the Unilocal group was.
Then I saw the line to the alcohol.. .
The orchid drink was actually quite nice, very refreshing. The air cool, and the Snap! photo booth was out of control fun!
Meeting up with other Unilocalers and their plus ones is always the best part of any event.
Thanks for such a great evening!

This was an AWESOME event!!! I’m an Orlando native and I’d never been to the gardens before. It’s a really beautiful place and I am for sure going back in the daytime.
The vendors were awesome… especially Brio with their AMAZING mushroom ravioli. It was so good and I don’t even like mushrooms :)
The harpist played beautiful music.
The weather was amazing.
Unique Australian vodka cocktails
Fun photos being taken by Snap Studio Booth
And yummy chocolate treats from Peterbrook… loved the «spicy» chocolate.
Thank you Colleen for putting on such an awesome event!!!

These elite events are always such great fun. Everyone has covered the highlights. I am happy to have discovered this intimate museum and gardens, I never knew it was here. All the folks who attended seemed to be having an outstanding time, as did we.

I loved this event. I am definately going to bring my kids back to admire the gardens and take more pictures in the daytime. The musuem was awesome
I enjoyed our sponsors, met some new folks and over all appreciated the chilled out venue.

It was a lovely night in the Gardens. The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens is such a beautiful setting for a gathering. It was fun strolling around the grounds checking out the various venders.
The ravioli from Brio was delsih. The treats from Peterbrooke were wonderful; chocolate popcorn yummy! My favorite sample of the night was the CooranBong White Orchid cocktail from CooranBong Vodka. Loved the taste!
Had fun being silly and posing for pictures. SNAP! Studio Booth is a creative concept and the quality of the photos were great.
Had a great time mixing & mingling. Enjoyed talking with the sponsors. Everyone was friendly, especially the gals at Honest Tea.
Thanks for the wonderful evening!

I must say that after this event, I will admit that Winter Park is full of hidden gems and delightful surprises.
I am in my 4^th year at Rollins so I should be familiar with every nook and cranny here but who knew this museum and it’s gorgeous garden existed?!
I especially liked the atmosphere with the harp. I don’t think the experience would have been as wonderful if it was a string quartet or DJ booth.
The drinks were amazing — my first Australian vodka. I got the White Orchid and my friend M had the Pampolitan which was way too strong so we switched drinks.
Peterbrooke will always be our best friend. Their chocolate covered popcorn is the best.
Brio had great pasta — wish it was hotter but it was a chilly night ;) Their restaurant has an amazing ambiance.
Honest Tea is something I’ve tried recently and fell in love with. Rollins carries their Honest Ade (which is like their juice version?) super great. I loved the pomegranate tea and berry tea the most.

It was an unseasonably cool evening in Winter Park, FL when I went careening around one of the tricky corners of Fairbanks Avenue and missed my destination.
Easy to miss the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, but you should try harder not to because it’s exquisite.
Loved:
–The beautiful, beautiful setting, the flowers, stunning Lake Osceola views. Romantic, relaxing, serene. Should totally hang out there sometime just to meditate.
–Fantastic art! Polasek’s sculptures are as detailed as they are varied.
–CHOCOLATE. Peterbrooke Chocolatier’s tasty offerings, all sweet and salty were soooo good. Chocolate covered popcorn, I used to think it was gross, was addicting. Totally perfect present… for yourself. =)
–Brio Tuscan Grille’s mushroom ravioli. Ate a couple 5 of those. Nice. And Brio gave us a coupon for free dessert or appetizer with entrée purchase
coupon (kind of nice).
–A harpist who played top 40 hits from yesterday and today! OK, mostly yesterday. She rocked it. \m/​
–CooranBong Vodka… the White Orchid cocktail was lemony and refreshing.
–Honest Tea, you know I love you.
–Getting to see all the happy Unilocalers!
My ever loving thanks to:
–Colleen, cause your sweet mamma (I know, I met her!) taught you how to party well.
–All the great vendors who participated.
–Yelp!

Yay! My first Elite event… and what a great time! I wish I would have gotten there a tad bit sooner so I could have seen more of the garden out back overlooking the lake but with city lights and beaming stars in the sky, I can’t say it was all that bad! Such a beautiful night. :)
The Mushroom Ravioli was phuh-«nom-nom”-itable. Literally, it got the nom nom award of the night. The pasta was al dente and was coated with such a beautiful creaminess which stuck to the pasta as if it was a newly painted wall. And if that doesn’t make you drool, imagine the smells of the earthy mushrooms and tasting how they’re weaved in a creamy cheese sauce. De-​lish.
Peterbrooke Chocolatier had this amazing salted chocolate that had me speechless for a few seconds. (sometimes it’s hard to get me to stop talking… and this is one of those things that will have me pausing for a brief moment) But the shortbread chocolate covered cookie (not to be confused with a chocolate covered banana Mike S. :) hehe) was sooo a nice delight. The chocolate covered popcorn was a nice finish and after sampling this plate, I’ve made the decision to add this on the list of things to give as Christmas gifts. The hard part will be refraining from eating them myself! Haha
Cocktails were good — we ended up opting for the White Orchid and the good news is that they are totally willing to cater for a potential ½ birthday party. (Yes, I celebrate ½ birthdays) :)
And not to forget, Snap! Studio Booth will totally be fun to have for any event (insert ½ birthday party here)
Until the next time, thank you so much for putting on a great event!
Cheers!

What’s not to like when you have the chance to spend time at a beautiful location, on a cool autumn evening sampling good food and drink?
This was not our first visit to the Albin Polasek museum and I highly recommend visiting during regular hours so you can thoroughly explore the lovely gardens and take the tour of the chapel and house. It’s so easy to buzz right past this place on your way from here to there. I know I did for years. But believe me, it is worth finally slowing down and pulling in for a look.
We are also not strangers to Brio Tuscan Grille and the food samples from there hit the spot as usual. We especially enjoyed their mushroom ravioli. The other dish they sampled was labeled chicken fra diavlo and was a bit unusual in that, well, it had no chicken and was not the least bit diavlo-​ish. Not sure what was up there? But the pasta and sauce was tasty despite the missing fowl and spice.
The CooranBong vodka cocktails we tried were quite refreshing and of course the chocolate treats from Peterbrooke were CHOCOLATE treats from Peterbrooke! Seriously, it was CHOCOLATE and stuff dipped in CHOCOLATE. Marty was happy.
Thanks Colleen for arranging an event that showcased this local cultural gem along with some tasty eats and drinks and entertainment! Unilocal On!

I had a great time! Those little ravioli were delicious. The gardens are beautiful and really a nice romantic vibe, kinda made me want to makeout behind the bamboo trail. oh yea.
Thanks for setting that up!

Thanks for putting this together, we had a fun time! Met some new people, tried some interesting cocktails, and came back with a bunch of iced tea.
The gardens were beautiful, and we’re going to go back to get a better look since it got dark before we could see everything!
Overall a fun, relaxing evening. Thanks again!